Amid soaring temperatures, Pakistanis suffer load shedding, prolonged power outages
Jul 04, 2023
Islamabad [Pakistan], July 4 : Amid soaring temperatures, Pakistanis are suffering load shedding and prolonged power outages, according to Dawn.
Power outages lasting many hours have been complained about in Quetta, Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi. Utility providers also cut off the power supply, citing the necessity for maintenance, in addition to managing the load, aggravating the situation for the public.
Sona, a resident of Nafeesabad in Karachi, told Dawn.com that electricity was only accessible for a short period of time there.
"Every day, when I leave for work and when I return, there is no electricity. Throughout the day, our power goes out for three hours and as many times," Sona said, who works as a domestic worker, added that the outages were unannounced most of the time, according to Dawn.
"My children have been falling sick because of the heat and we can't afford a generator or UPS," she added.
In a separate statement, a resident of Lyari, Mohammad Naveed said that he was also experiencing a similar situation.
"We are deprived of power for two hours four times every day," he lamented.
"Our lives are hell. I have three children and they are always crying because of the humidity and we are unable to complete household chores," Naveed said, according to Dawn.
Apart from the residents, the prolonged outages affected shopkeepers the most. Urban regions of Peshawar witnessed load shedding for five to eight hours, while inhabitants of the city's rural districts reported cuts lasting up to fourteen to sixteen hours.
Similarly, in Lahore, people continued to face power cuts.
Residents of Allama Iqbal Town and Nishtar Town reported suffering from six-hour outages in their communities to Dawn.
A local homeowner who chose to remain unnamed said their distribution provider initially advised them that load-shedding would occur for two hours per day, in the morning and evening. But most of the time, there are four to five power outages every day, she continued.
